Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Short Interest Update

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,440,000 shares, a growth of 62.3% from the October 31st total of 2,120,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 2.1 %

STZ stock traded up $4.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $240.95. The company had a trading volume of 833,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,386,526. Constellation Brands has a fifty-two week low of $224.76 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The company has a market capitalization of $43.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $246.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.08 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. Analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th were issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. TD Cowen cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $307.00 to $293.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 1,510 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.57, for a total transaction of $370,810.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,220,482.90. The trade was a 23.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Sands sold 119,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.37, for a total transaction of $28,908,439.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 431,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,638,157.73. This trade represents a 21.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 189,956 shares of company stock worth $46,058,091. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in STZ. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 1st quarter worth about $561,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 25,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,991,000 after buying an additional 4,556 shares during the period. Burney Co. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Burney Co. now owns 15,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,314,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 128.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,065,000 after acquiring an additional 22,870 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Familiar, Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Light, Corona Non-Alcoholic, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca, Modelo Especial, Modelo Chelada, Modelo Negra, Modelo Oro, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.